Russian, Egyptian foreign ministers speak for maintenance of Syria ceasefire - ministry

MOSCOW, May 5. /TASS/. Russian and Egyptian foreign ministers Sergey Lavrov and Sameh Shoukry have discussed the situation in Syria during a telephone conversation and spoken for maintenance of the ceasefire regime in that country, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported Thursday. "During the conversation, the sides exchanged opinions on urgent issues of the regional agenda with the stress on the development of the situation in Syria and around it, including with account for talks held in Moscow on May 3 between Sergey Lavrov and the UN secretary-general’s special envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura," the ministry’s statement said. "The heads of the foreign policy departments of Russia and Egypt have confirmed that collective efforts aimed at the soonest possible termination of the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and continuation of a stable intra-Syrian negotiating process under UN auspices have no alternative," it said. The ministers also confirmed "the importance of maintaining the regime of cessation of fire and ensuring humanitarian access across Syria." The conversation occurred on an initiative of the Egyptian side. Read more